Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana slammed a fantastic 117 off 127 balls, also her sixth century in ODIs, while leg-spinner Asha Sobhana shined with a four-wicket haul on debut to setup India’s 143-run thrashing of South Africa at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and begin the multi-format series on a high note. On a slightly sluggish pitch which offered variable bounce, seam movement and spin, India were reduced to 99/5 at one stage after electing to bat first. But Smriti stood tall, played her shots all over the park and even kept cramps at bay to keep India’s innings together with utmost discipline, control and remarkable composure.
In the process of bailing India out of trouble, Smriti brought up her first ODI century at home, laced with 12 fours and a six, to enthrall an enthusiastic Sunday crowd. She was also well-supported by knocks from Deepti Sharma (37) and Pooja Vastrakar (31) as India crossed 250-mark. Asha Sobhana strikes regularly to keep South Africa on their toes: In reply, Asha’s fine spell of 4-21, where she spun the ball well and got good zip on her deliveries, ensured South Africa were never in the hunt to chase down 269.
The Proteas lost wickets at regular intervals and didn’t stitch a long partnership to be bowled out for 122 in 37.4 overs. Renuka Singh Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar, Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav were also amongst the wickets and supported Asha very well as India are now 1-0 up in the three-match series.
South Africa suffered a big setback in the o.
